Puppy Kisses
by Aya Diefair
Summary: Facing early mornings, or staying up all night. It seems like they would do anything for each other no matter what. — - Series of 1-Shots featuring Remus/Sirius and the Marauders.
1. Puppy Kisses

**Author's Note:** Mornings can be a drag - or a delight - when obligations get in the way.

* * *

 **Puppy Kisses**

 _Bzt! Bzt!_ _Bzt!_

The alarm clock sounded on the bedside table. The subtle, but annoying, buzz gradually increasing after each passing second. The mound of blankets shifted to the end of the bed where a pale hand emerged from underneath them to dismiss it with a touch from a masculine hand.

A quiet groan escaped from the duvet pile, and soon a dark-haired wizard sat upright. A deep yawn escaping from him as he stretched out his bare arms. Throwing the blankets off him and over a second mound on the bed beside him, Sirius Black turned and placed his feet on the floor without disturbing the mass nearby.

Another yawn snuck out of him, and with a soft grunt, he attempted to hoist himself off the bed when a pair of long scarred arms wrapped around his naked torso and tried to pull him back to bed.

"Where're you sneaking off too, hmm?"

The mound of blankets seemed to have sleepily spoken before mousey-brown hair peeked out from underneath the sheet. A smirk crept across Sirius' face.

"You caught me," he chuckled, attempting to break free from the arm trap to no avail.

"Let go, Moony. Please? I need to get up," Sirius said, only to be pulled further back onto the bed.

"It's cold," Remus complained, nuzzling his cheek against Sirius' back. "I need you."

"But I gotta go." The raven-haired wizard pressed on.

"Nothing can be that important to be awake this early for."

"It's an interview Prongs' parents set me up with," Sirius explained. "So, it's kind of important."

Remus sighed, his warm breath tingling his boyfriends skin.

"I suppose," he mumbled, releasing Sirius from his clutches.

"Sorry, love. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

As Sirius made a second attempt to get out of bed, Remus all but pounced on top of him. Grabbing Sirius's shoulders, he pulled the dark-haired man onto his back, pinning Sirius by the shoulders into the mattress. Remus looked into surprised grey eyes, a coy smile on his face.

"Yes you will," he demanded playfully, giving Sirius a peck on the lips. "A kiss for good luck."

Sirius laughed, finding his normally timid boyfriend act so dominantly arousing. "I suppose I can linger for a little while longer."

* * *

 **Written for Round 1, Year 2 of The Houses Competitions**

 **House:** Hufflepuff

 **Category Assigned:** Drabble (Prefect 4th Story)

 **Prompt(s):** 1\. (Speech) "Nothing can be that important."

 **Word count:** (Per Google Docs) 380

 **Beta(s):** Zetta, Blue Rose


	2. Blood Red Moon

**Author's Note:** The priorities among friends occasionally do not match up, but it is never too late to change them. Alternate Universe: Order of the Phoenix does not exist.

* * *

 **Blood Red Moon**

Sirius Black never liked early mornings. They were cold and only meant to doze through, in his opinion. Unfortunately, this particular morning required him to be fully alert and coherent for what was in store for him. A cool splash of water chased the sleep from his eyes; his slender fingers combed back black locks from his face afterward. Looking up into the mirror, he examined his teeth and checked his breath, deciding he should probably tend to them as well.

All this extra preening was necessary to make a good impression at this interview he felt very obligated to go to – and would most likely hate – but brushing off such a kind gesture that Mr. and Mrs. Potter took the time to arrange for him would make him feel far worse.

He'd been in a slump ever since he failed the Auror's Entry Exam several long weeks ago; they claimed he was "too reckless and impulsive, which could put comrades at risk" during the physical section of the test and had failed him. Sirius argued strongly against it, and the end result had him barred from reapplying for an entire year instead of their quarterly application windows. James found the reason behind the failure outrageous as well and attempted to defend his best friend to no avail without risking his own acceptance into their program. Learning Peter had just squeaked by himself had Sirius almost lose it completely.

There was a shuffling of feet on the soft carpet from the bedroom connected behind him that pulled Sirius from his thoughts. A sleepy yawn complemented it. Sirius's lips twitched into a small smile at its sound as he went to the closet to fetch one of his nicer shirts and vests to wear.

Remus Lupin wandered into the tiny kitchen to prepare some coffee; his mousey brown hair still tousled and sticking upwards, eyes still drooping with sleep. He was not much of a morning person, either, but tonight marked a unique full moon, the day leading up to it always left him knackered.

Sirius did not hesitate to take his best friend and lover in as soon as he was given the flat from the Potters; they treated him so well, like he was a second son to them. The flat was his Hogwarts graduation gift, and he was beyond appreciative for having it. However, Remus was virtually homeless and jobless and he would never leave him out on the streets, thus the need to impress at his interview being even more important so he could at least support them.

Quietly sneaking out of the room, Sirius crept up behind the oblivious Remus and wrapped his arms around his waist, placing a light kiss on a bare shoulder. "Good morning, my Moon."

Remus shivered in response to the unexpected touch and the breathy whisper in his ear. It left his body feeling tingly and warm, almost wanting the dark-haired man. Though the pet name normally didn't bother him, today it was a looming reminder of what was to come. He knew Sirius didn't mean for it to be taken in that way, however.

"Morning, my early rising Star," Remus replied teasingly, pressing his body against Sirius'.

Sirius chuckled at the comment, placing another kiss on his boyfriend's shoulder before he reached for two cups in the cupboard nearby. "You didn't need to get up with me, you know. You could use the extra rest."

Remus shrugged and accepted the cup offered to him. "I wanted to have breakfast with you."

Sirius took a sip of his coffee that was as black as his hair, giving Remus a knowing look that was not seen as his mate was busy working his magic on some omelettes. Dark rings were under the brown-haired wizard's eyes, Sirius knew Remus woke in the middle of the night and paced the flat for a good four hours for the past week. He was anxious about the full moon, it was supposed to be a rare one known as a super red moon. All Sirius knew about it was that it was going to be bigger than normal and have a red tint to it. Remus had been expressing more concern over it than usual, and it made Sirius uneasy.

"Everything will be alright, Remus. I am sure this one will pass the same as the others have before," the dark-haired wizard tried to offer comfort.

Remus looked across the small table at him, the worry ghosting his face to reflect Sirius' own.

"I wish it were that simple," Remus said bleakly. "A super moon I can handle. A blood moon holds a whole different set of circumstances. And both put together, well..."

He trailed off as he focused on tucking into his breakfast. Sirius observed the werewolf was simply pushing the food around as the silence lingered between them. Half finishing his own, he knew he needed to get going soon, but was conflicted about asking Remus more about the blood moon.

"However this blood moon - as you call it - affects you, we will be with you through it until the end." Sirius got to his feet and gave Remus' cheek a caressing brush of his hand.

Placing his plate on the counter, Sirius regarded Remus as he started to speak.

"James and Peter aren't able to make it," Remus mumbled out, clearly upset over it.

Sirius was perplexed at this news. "They aren't? Why not?"

The light brown-haired wizard hesitated, knowing that the why would put Sirius in a bad mood, and he didn't want to dampen it before he had to leave.

"It's no big deal. I'll be fine." A weak smile formed but didn't touch Remus' blue eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Or was waking this early a ruse?"

Sirius held suspicion in his grey eyes as he took a final sip of coffee. He made a face at the strong bitter flavor overwhelming his taste buds before abandoning the cup and moving toward Remus.

"Cleary a ruse to see your sexy bed head," Sirius said with a smirk, combing his fingers through it while Remus tilted his head back.

"I wish it were, though," Sirius continued. "This interview is going to drag. It's probably for a ministry desk job. But I don't want to let the Potters down."

"You'd go mad sitting behind one of those," Remus commented, letting out a yawn.

Sirius grabbed a scarred hand from the table and kissed his knuckles. "Got to run. I'll be back in no time, I promise."

He went for the door, grabbing the keys to his motorcycle on the way. "And get back to bed. You need your rest."

He could hear the "Yes, _Mother_." comment as the door closed behind him.

 **.oOo.**

Sirius tapped a finger on his knee while staring at the corner of the room lost in thought. The woman behind the desk in front of him was speaking, but he heard nothing of it. The room grew quiet for a moment, but then the raspy voice of the woman finally pierced his thoughts. He looked at her in slight confusion, her lips were pursed in a disapproving manner. The sight reminded him of his mother.

"I'm sorry?" He straightened up some to properly regard her.

The witch eyed him for several seconds before placing a file down on her desk.

"As I was saying, Mr. Black. Your credentials are on par with what we are looking for with the position. I find you a very promising candidate to suit the job. I'll have you filed under the appropriate potential hires, and you may expect to see my owl at weeks end."

The woman's voice seemed to get more rugged as she spoke. The lines around her lips hinted at excessive use of Muggle cigarettes, and it definitely explained the smell trapped in the small office space. Sirius stood up as she finished speaking, reaching for his cloak.

"Thank you for the opportunity, ma'am," he said in a hurry.

She looked confused at the sudden departure. "Mr. Black, did you have any questions?"

He barely gave her a second before he put on his best smirk. "Nope. I'll humbly await your owl. Good day."

And he was gone, already well aware he was, in fact, not going to receive that owl with good news.

Sirius could not figure out what Remus meant by referring to it as a blood moon, and there was only one place he could think of to find out about it besides asking Remus himself. He did not want to make him more uncomfortable and anxious about it so he went to the next best place that could hold an answer. The library loomed over him on Horizont Alley. He'd never been before, but knew that he should find what he needed at Labyrinth Library.

Stepping foot into the building, its name was not a joke. The place really did look like a labyrinth built from endless books and shelves. Not bothering to get lost seeking out the material he needed, Sirius went straight for the librarian perched behind a cluttered desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Where would I find books about the moon and werewolves, respectfully?" He tried to sound like asking about them was normal.

The woman looked down at him from over her spectacles, seeming to scrutinize the material he asked for. After a long moment, she picked up her wand and gave it a flick. Books from near the back of the building came flapping like butterflies toward the front.

"Where would you like them, dear?"

He gestured to a table by the window and the five books were neatly stacked up on it. "Thank you."

Sirius flipped through what little was offered on the effects the moon had on werewolves. From what he did gather, however, was that the types of moons that occurred all changed the behavior of lycanthropes. This blood moon was not a good one for them.

A black robed figure approached Sirius while his nose was buried in a book.

"This is a first; Sirius Black is reading a book, and in a library. I should get a photograph," the young wizard sneered.

Sirius could recognize that voice from anywhere. He dropped the tome onto the table, locking grey eyes onto Severus Snape.

"Piss off, Snivellus. I'm busy," he snapped back.

Severus snatched the tome off the table and read the spine, a wicked smirk forming on his lips. "Got a wolfy issue back home, hmm? Worried about what may happen tonight?"

He dropped the book back on the table, but Sirius was already standing, fists clenched at his sides. "Don't you have a potion to brew? Wouldn't want you to lose that greasy hair of yours."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Not so clever without the others to back you up are you? Probably why you failed the auror train-"

Sirius grabbed Severus by the collar of his robes, roughly shoving him up against a shelf. "Try me, Snivellus."

"You know what is going to happen someday? _He_ is going to severely hurt - or _kill_ \- someone sooner or later," Severus continued to taunt. "Tonight might just be the perfect night. I sincerely hope that it's you."

Sirius saw red, a first was clenched and pulled back, ready to strike before he realized it. The only thing that stalled him was a firm pressure in his side where a wand dug into his ribs.

"Hit me, Black. I promise I have a nasty curse I've been waiting to use on you. Then you can match your little _mutt_ of a friend; all scarred and disfigured _._ " The look on his face said he was not lying.

The librarian's voice shrieked from nearby. "Out! The both of you! Fighting is _not_ tolerated here! Out! Now!"

Sirius released Severus at the demand, his eyes still glinted silver daggers at him. Severus sported a smirk of victory as he corrected his robes.

Sirius turned to leave, muttering under his breath; "You should've been his first victim."

"Good luck with your dog problem tonight, Black. I will look forward to seeing your obituary written in the _Prophet_ tomorrow," Severus said with a laugh.

Sirius turned and jumped Severus with a burst of outrage. Fists were flying and books were toppling over them as the two quarrelled on the floor.

 **.oOo.**

It took almost three hours to be released from the Aurors office, much to Sirius' irritation. It certainly threw off his day and sense of time. After a hefty fine for damaged property, and permanent banishment from the library, Sirius couldn't help but smirk that the dried blood on his knuckles came from breaking that slimy gits nose.

His right eye was long swollen shut from a well aimed punch from Severus, and his shoulder took a nasty beating as well, but he didn't care. Remembering the information he learned hours ago, he picked up his bike and went straight for the Potters.

Slamming a sore hand against the door, Sirius waited impatiently for someone to answer. Thankfully it was James who answered, he really did not want to talk about the interview to his parents.

"Sirius? What in Merlin's name happened to you?" Were the first words out of James' mouth.

"Got in a fight with Snape in a library," Sirius breathed out quickly. "Why can't you-"

James chuckled at the explanation loud enough to cut off his friend. Barely containing himself, he clutched at his side while stepping outside onto the porch.

"Y-you had a brawl - with Snivellus - in a library! Boy, I need more details, mate."

Sirius glowered at James as he started to crack up again. "Are you done?"

"No! Why on Gaia's green earth were you in a library?" James snorted, correcting his glasses.

"It doesn't matter," Sirius growled, growing irritated with his friend. "Why aren't you and Peter able to make it tonight?"

James swallowed hard at the question, the humor melting from his visage. "We told Remus why. He was understanding."

"Well that's great and all, but I want to know." Sirius was quickly getting impatient.

"Look, Padfoot. There's no need to get upset over it on his behalf," James reasoned. "There's been loads of times when one of us couldn't make it before. Why is tonight any different?"

" _Because_ ," Sirius snapped. "Tonight isn't just a full moon; it's a super blood moon."

James stared at Sirius for a long while, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.

"Okay, that doesn't explain much. Look, if it was really that important to Moony, he'd have said so."

Sirius scoffed, shaking his head. "No he wouldn't, especially if whatever the reason for you not coming was in your best interest. He'd not want to interfere with it. What is it?"

James stalled, not able to argue against the truth. "I-"

"Well?"

The bespectacled wizard sighed, absorbing the growing intense waves of anger radiating from his best friend.

"It's our first Auror mission - Wormtail's and mine. Pretty important for us to complete for the chance to be official," James finally explained. "We've been fast tracked, in a manner of speaking. They are really desperate for Aurors."

"I don't care! Remus really needs us, and here you are putting a stupid job over your best friend." Sirius was fuming now. "A blood moon is a pretty rare phenomenon that I wish I had realized by the name alone."

James waited for Sirius to finish, though realization started to etch on his face.

"It makes them act more aggressive. From what little I gathered, the most attacks occur under it." Sirius observed James a moment before continuing. "He's really scared something bad is going to happen."

The silence settled between them for what felt like ages. Sirius knew he needed to return home and take Remus as far from civilization as possible soon, but he was not going to leave without knowing if the others were coming.

James swallowed hard before giving a jerk of his head. "I am sorry, but I can't miss this opportunity. Remus will be fine, he's in good hands with you."

Sirius threw his arms in the air. If his hands weren't already scabbed and sore, he'd probably hit his best friend due to how frustrated he was. "Fine, go play Auror. I hope you fail miserably as payback for taking advantage of your friends kindness."

Before James could think of anything else to say, Sirius roared up his motorcycle and drove off with a screech from the tires resisting the sudden jump in speed.

 **.oOo.**

Sirius and Remus landed deep in a small clearing in a forested area several hours later. There was more than enough time to recite the agonizing interview Sirius was forced to recall, explain his battered appearance to Remus, and how he - regretfully - went off on James. All this was followed up with being lectured about how fighting in a public domain like that was uncalled for, even if he was defending someone. He seemed more concerned about the damaged tomes than Sirius' minor injuries. He also was reminded that taking notes in an interview was useful, and had little to say about the incident with James.

"I'm sorry the other's aren't able to come. Selfish gits." Sirius grabbed Remus' hand to help him off the bike, leaving a soft kiss over his knuckles in the meantime.

"I am not going to interfere with their potential futures. They have already done so much for me." Remus tried to reason, scratching the back of his head nervously.

The night was already getting pretty cold, and the soon-to-be werewolf shivered despite himself.

Sirius draped a blanket over him before collecting him into a firm embrace from behind. He placed a delicate kiss on Remus' temple. "It's not like they need a job right this very minute, though. Their families are stable, they could try again next quarter."

Remus ignored the bitterness in his tone, knowing that the Auror subject was still a very sensitive topic to tread in. Instead, he took in the warmth his mate shared, appreciating the affection, even if he was not in the right mindset to return it. Sirius was always so understanding, especially around this terrible time.

"Where did you bring me to this time?" Remus looked around the woodland in the fast fading light, effectively shifting the subject.

"Mm, somewhere in a Wales national park, I think," Sirius chuckled, releasing Remus to clear the ground area of organic debris so he could pitch a tent. "We got some time, let's go get warm, yeah?"

He reached out his hand, and Remus happily took it to be led inside the enchanted makeshift home. A warm fire crackled in the small cast iron pot belly stove, a teapot was already whistling lowly on top to signal it was close to being ready.

"You went all out, didn't you?" Remus smiled as he looked around, knowing that Sirius was eager to keep him comfortable.

"Naturally. I thought you should be in a relaxed state of mind before… you know." Sirius trailed off, moving to steal the spot beside Remus on the little loveseat. "I read about the blood moon and, if you're worried that someth-"

He swallowed back the sentence, the words that Snape had said flashing through his mind. He draped an arm around Remus' shoulder and pulled him closer. "I won't let anything happen, I promise."

Remus looked up at the battered face of the dark-haired wizard, feeling truly appreciative of the lengths he went through for him; from decking Snape right in the nose, to reading what little information was offered about the phenomenon and how it was going to affect him.

"Thank you."

The hour ticked away while the pair shamelessly cuddled and had tea, and Remus knew it was getting close to that dreadful time of when the moon was about to show it's sickening bright face. There was a rustling of leaves just outside, which suddenly put both wizards on full alert.

"I thought we were hundreds of kilometres away from people?" Remus said in a hushed voice.

Wand held tightly in hand, Sirius stepped out of the tent, scanning the deep darkness for a sign of an intruder. The light from two wands caught his eye in the distance, and familiar voices were heard growing louder as they approached. Sirius smirked despite himself as a wave of relief washed over him.

Remus stepped out just behind him, peering over Sirius' shoulder. "Is it…?"

"Yup," Sirius lit his wand to flagdown the other two, who were heard bickering over who said that the direction they were going was indeed correct.

"Got here in the nick of time, eh Prongs, Wormtail?" Sirius teased, giving James a playful jab to the shoulder. "What happened with playing Auror? It get boring that quick?"

James chuckled, placing his broom up against the motorbike to give Remus a gentle hug, Peter followed up with a pat on the back.

"Nah, mate. I realized there are far more important things to do, instead," James assured.

"I was telling James; since we got this far in the training, what's to stop us from doing it again next time?" Peter commented. "Figure I'll surpass Prongs again."

The four Marauders laughed at the joke. Sirius gave Peter a slap on the back. Remus went quiet to scan the small clearing above; the darkness of the sky slowly grew brighter.

"It means a lot to me to have you all here, really," Remus all but gushed, the fear and worry he carried with him all day - no - all week melted away as he embraced the three.

"It is nearly time," he continued, swallowing hard.

The others nodded in understanding. James and Peter went to take down the tent while Sirius locked his lover into a tender kiss. Cupping a scarred cheek, Sirius smiled.

"See you soon, love."

"See you soon."

* * *

 **Written for Round 1, Year 2 of The Houses Competitions**

 **Written for the** **Slash Challenge from the HPFFC Forum.**

 **House:** Hufflepuff

 **Category:** Themed (2000-5000 Words)

 **Theme Prompt:** Friendship

 **Prompt(s):** 5\. (Romantic Pairing) Remus/Sirius

 **Slash Pairing:** 2\. Remus/Sirius

 **Word count:** (Per Google Docs) 3,670

 **Beta(s):** Jet


	3. Penname Crush

**Author's Note:** Modern Muggle!AU **-** Sirius is best friends with James and lives with he and his parents. Remus is best friends with Peter and they are flatmates. They do not know each other (yet), but they live closeby. Remus is in university, Peter works at a cafe. Sirius has a some kind of job, James is studying university too, I suppose.

The awkwardness is intended because I've had my fair share of online meet n greets and they are a happy awkward. You are all giddy and nervous and excited and you say weird shit but it settles down after a bit and you are like instantly comfortable with that person.

 **Summary:** Finding that right someone can happen in several ways. How Sirius and Remus found each other happened to be from the new trend of online chatrooms.

 **Rated:** T

 **Genre:** General

* * *

 **Penname Crush**

It was Friday night, and instead of bar hopping with his best friend and not-quite brother, James Potter decided to go out – _again–_ with his girlfriend Lily Evans and leaving Sirius behind to have supper with his parents – again.

"Do you really have to go out with her again this weekend, James?" Sirius took extra effort to add that touch of whininess to his voice.

He was sprawled out on his best friend's bed while James attempted to tame the nightmare that was his hair in the mirror nearby. Rolling his eyes, he looked over at Sirius, twirling the comb lazily in the air.

"That's sort of the point of having a girlfriend, Padfoot."

"I was hoping that you and I could hang out this time, is all," Sirius muttered, cringing some at his childhood nickname. "Been a while since it was just you and I."

"Do I sense jealousy?" James teased, dropping the comb on the top of his dresser in defeat.

"Just a touch."

"Well, it is last minute," James continued, taking off his glasses and rubbing a smudge off them. "But I'm sure Lily won't mind if you came along to the movies at least."

Sirius shook his head and hoisted himself up off James' bed. "I'll pass. Being the third wheel sucks."

James shrugged and clapped him on the back before reaching for his jacket. "Can't say I didn't invite you, then. That website I signed you up for is a bust, I presume?"

"I've barely used the ridiculous account," Sirius scoffed, still annoyed at the gesture made in an attempt to help him find a date.

"At least give it a chance. Your soulmate could be waiting for you to IM a _hi_ right now for all you know."

Sirius gave a mock laugh while exiting the room behind James and descending the stairs. "You're hilarious. Now sod off before you're late and I'll be forced to share my dinner with you. Tell Lily _hi_ for me."

"Got it." James stuck his head into the kitchen where his mother was cooking. "I'm heading out, Mum. I'll be back late."

"Okay, love. Do enjoy yourself."

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were the best family Sirius could ever ask for. Not only did he really love their cooking and that they took him in when he needed a home, they were also just so nice and overall good people. They were complete opposites to Sirius' own family,. He personally didn't mind spending Friday nights with them. Sirius just wished his best mate would stop ditching him for his girlfriend so he could spend time with him for a change. It was making him start to feel lonely. He never thought he'd feel that way since he started living with someone who actually cared about him.

"This roast lamb tastes brilliant as always, Eu– _Mum_ ," Sirius complimented, correcting himself before finishing off the last bite. He knew Euphemia loved it when he called her 'Mum'.

"You always flatter me, dear," the elder woman said with a warm smile. "I know lamb is always your favorite."

"You know me too well," Sirius said with a chuckle.

Fleamont took a quick sip of his drink before looking to his wife. "The lamb was quite good, sweetheart, but I'm looking forward to dessert!"

"Naturally," Euphemia giggled while getting to her feet to start clearing the table so they could enjoy the evening treat.

Sirius quickly got up to assist, taking the small pile of plates to the sink where she soon followed with the leftovers. He started washing them by hand while the woman beside him made quick work of clearing the counter of the extra food.

"You know you don't have to always stay in during the weekends, Sirius. You're young, you should be out experiencing life instead of lounging about with us." Euphemia gave the dark-haired young man a long look to reinforce her statement. "Maybe you'll find that perfect someone like James has."

Sirius let out a quiet puffy breath at the conversation. "I rather like spending time with you two."

She placed a gentle hand on her unofficial adopted son's arm and gave it a squeeze. "I know that James has been preoccupied lately, but can you blame him? That Lily is an utter sweetheart."

He nodded in agreement as he listened to the lecture.

"However, you can't sit here at home and wait on him to make time for you forever."

"But I—"

"No buts, you need to go out and have some fun for yourself. You are more than capable. So next Saturday I do not want to see you around all day," the woman declared, offering Sirius a towel to dry his hands. "Go see a film or have a treat, whatever youths do these days. Just go and have some fun."

"I'll try, but I don't think I'll like it all that much," Sirius muttered out.

"You'll do just fine," Euphemia assured, patting his shoulder as she stepped around him to fetch dessert. "Let's have some cake. Sweets always makes things brighter."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sirius knew she meant well, but the idea of being exposed to the public put him on edge. Having a run in with his brother, or worse, his own _mother_ would not be something he'd look forward to. She had looked him in the eye and told him that he was no son of hers, that he did not deserve to be a Black, and happily kicked him to the curb with no care as to where he went when she found out he was not even remotely interested in marrying a woman. Thankfully he knew that the Potters would take him in with open arms. He and James had been close since primary school, and he practically lived at their house already before the incident.

The Potters never could officially adopt him since he was on the cusp of seventeen when he was kicked out of his home, but they still called him their son all the same. He'd been living with them just over two years now. They helped him secure a job and allowed him to stay under their roof after graduation while he found his feet. It helped that James stayed home while he finished university as well, making Sirius feel less guilty about the arrangement. He owed his new family a lot, but he honestly didn't want to be alone while facing the world. He thought he'd have James –his best mate– to rely on to be with him while experiencing what life offered.

Then he became the third wheel, and that made everything awkward.

Settling into his room after assisting in the final cleanup of the kitchen and dining room for the evening, Sirius opened up his laptop and pulled up a chat room to someone he'd been conversing with for a couple weeks now. No thanks to James who created the account on the ridiculous dating site on his behalf in the first place. It was a little irritating that James shared the same thought process his parents had on needing to find that someone else to have reason to get out of the house.

The name was silly, _Padfoot59Marauder_. James would use Sirius' childhood nickname for a dating site to embarrass him. It wouldn't have been his first choice, but he just went with it. Sirius tapped a reply to 6 _RemmyMoon0_ and contemplated on what he was going to write. Truth was, he had been talking to this someone for over a month now, but the two hadn't really conversed much about where they were going with their relationship status exactly.

 _Padfoot59Marauder_

 _Hey Moony. I know it is a bit sudden, but what are your thoughts on meeting somewhere next weekend?_

 **.oOo.**

Remus Lupin glanced at the clock from the book he had buried himself into two hours ago and saw it was pushing one in the morning. He was surprised to see Peter still hanging out on the couch watching some program he didn't recognize.

"You're still up? Don't you work in the morning?" He gently reminded his best friend.

Peter stirred from his half-asleep daze and turned his attention to Remus. "I switched for a later shift, actually. I wasn't kidding when I said I loathe the morning shifts."

Remus chuckled and shook his head, bookmarking his spot before laying the book on his desk. "I should've known you would do any means necessary to get it changed."

The two friends had known each other since the first day of secondary school. Peter had just moved into Remus' neighborhood a week prior and was terrified on the first day of school. No one wanted to point him in the direction to his homeroom, but the mousy-haired boy was kind enough to approach him and walk him to their class.

A _ping_ from the computer caught Remus' attention. He moved from the plush chair to the computer and swiveled it around to see who it was. Skimming the message, he felt his cheeks warm at the idea presented to him. The drawn out silence had Peter curious, and he approached his friend.

"What's got you all clammed up, mate?"

Clearing his throat, Remus closed the chatroom and went back over to his study corner. "Nothing."

Peter snorted, sitting on the edge of the plush chairs arm and nudging Remus with an elbow. "Was it that bloke you started talking to from that one site?"

"H-how'd you know?"

"You should invite him out, we could double date. Marlene always tells me that I need to get you out more before your head explodes from all your studying," his flatmate continued on as if he didn't speak.

Remus only blushed some more and grabbed a book to conceal his embarrassment. "It's just a friend, and y-yes. He mentioned something about meeting. But how–"

"Oh, sorry. You left the computer on a couple days ago, and when I went to shut it off, I noticed the browser was still open." He stood up suddenly and raised his hands in front of him. "I didn't read anything, I swear!"

Remus looked up at Peter briefly. "I believe you."

A brief silence settled over their small flat. Only the white noise of the telly muttered in the background.

"Are you going to say yes?" Peter asked with genuine interest. "Because if so, I know a nice little place where they make great sandwiches."

"I don't know, Pete. I have only recently started talking to him and... I dunno." Remus ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to talk about it any further.

"Aww come on, what do you have to lose? So you get out of the flat for a few hours and grab lunch with the guy. You could set it up, then scope the place and if you get weird vibes you can just leave."

"The problem with that is," Remus closed the book and placed it back on the pile, "he will most likely be the one who's late. So I would not have the chance to do that."

"Hm, good point." Peter pondered a moment, then snapped his fingers. "You could still scope the entrance, same results."

"That just sounds creepy," Remus said with a laugh. "We will see."

He clapped Remus on the back before getting up. "Well, let me know what you decide. I personally think it will be good for you to be more outgoing." Peter snagged the remote and shut off the telly. "I'm off to bed, goodnight!"

"Night."

Remus waited for his good friend's bedroom door to close before he jumped back over to the computer and reopened the chat.

6 _RemmyMoon0_

 _You really think we should? I mean, I'd love to, but it seems so soon still, doesn't it?_

 _Padfoot59Marauder_

 _I dunno. Would be kind of cool to be able to chat in person, have more than a picture to go off of, ya know?  
That sounded weird, sorry. _

_6RemmyMoon0_

 _No, it didn't. I think it would be nice, too._

 _Padfoot59Marauder_

 _No pressure or anything. Just thought it'd be fun._

 _6RemmyMoon0_

 _It would be. I need to get out more, anyway. What better way to do that and make it a meet up?_

 _Padfoot59Marauder_

 _Yeah I do, too. The parents are all but locking me out of the house on the weekends to get me to go out._

 _6RemmyMoon0_

 _My flatmate was telling me about this sandwich shop not far from here. Maybe we could do lunch this weekend?_

 _I need to get to bed, though. Class tomorrow. I'll get the address and send it to you in the morning._

 _Goodnight, Pad._

 _Padfoot59Marauder_

 _Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, sweet dreams Moony. 3_

Remus felt his face heat up again before he replied. Making sure to shut down the computer so his nosey flatmate didn't see anything, he let out a yawn before lightly smiling at the thought of meeting this person. Now all he had to do was get through the school week.

 **.oOo.**

It was the most grueling week of Sirius' life. He spoke to Moony every night the whole week after they roughly planned what James kept calling a date. He then would continue to poke fun at him for lying about using the dating site in the first place. It just didn't feel like it should be called a date, but he supposed that was what it was. Saturday morning came quicker than anticipated. The two penpals weren't able to talk the night before because Moony said he had exams the entire day and was going to crash as soon as he was done with them. Sirius soon realized that he had no idea what Moony's real name was. All he knew was what he looked like. It was going to be an awkward encounter without that piece of information.

Satisfied with his semi-casual outfit and groomed hair, Sirius made for the stairs before he could be intercepted by James and went right for the door to avoid the Potters gentle questions on why he was so "dressed up". Keeping the agreement between the Potters to not be home for most of the Saturday, he set out on foot to the sandwich shop not far from his home.

Sirius arrived to the shop early. Nerves got the better of him to go in and wait for Moony, so he detoured back around to a sports shop to browse and let them settle down. He'd lost track of time though and quickly hurried back. The chime of the stores entrance sounded louder than it needed to be when Sirius entered, but he checked his watch to make sure he wasn't super late. ' _Five minutes late isn't bad, was it?'_

It wasn't terribly busy, but this didn't stop Sirius from spotting the mousy-brown haired man almost immediately. He was reading a book by the window in the corner, pausing a second to check his watch, then settled back into his reading. Moony was a lot cuter in person, seeing him being all bookish and timid. Collecting his composure, Sirius slowly approached the man he'd spoken to so easily over the Internet for a month and a half as he mentally rehearsed on what he was going to say.

"Moony?"

Remus looked up, eyes wide some with startlement as their gazes met. He flushed a little before finding his voice. "Padfoot?"

"One and only," Sirius said, smirking. Remus was speechless at how beautiful his eyes were.

Clearing his throat, the dark-haired man gestured to the chair across from him. "Is it alright if I sit?"

"Oh, yeah. Please." Remus grabbed his bag off the chair so Sirius could take a seat. He ran a hand through his hair as he felt those grey eyes on him. "Sorry. I'm not sure the protocol for revealing secret identities, so… hi, I guess?"

Sirius smiled at his timidness and decided to be the one to break the ice. "It is nice to officially meet you, Moony. I'm Sirius, but feel free to call me Padfoot."

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Padfoot. I'm uh… Remus, but Moony works, too." Remus couldn't stop looking at his eyes.

Before anyone could say anything else, the wait staff appeared from nowhere and took their orders. It helped clear the air between the two.

"Nice place. I don't think I've ever been here before." Sirius took in his surroundings, tapping a finger on the table as he did so.

"Peter raves about it to me all the time. I walk by it often enough going to school, but I just never have the forethought to come in." Remus rattled out, still feeling a little nervous. "So… you don't live far from here?"

"Not terribly far. It was about a nice fifteen minute walk."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'd have chosen something a little closer if I'd known." Remus bit his lip and glanced out the window. "I live a couple blocks down so I didn't even think about the distance."

Sirius waved his hand to dismiss the concern. "It really isn't a huge deal. No need to worry about it."

Their sandwiches came and it helped keep them semi-distracted as they made more small talk and revisited topics from their online chats. It helped to calm their nerves and giddiness at meeting each other.

"So, I have to ask, where on earth did you get that penname? _Padfoot59Maraurder_ is a little off the wall," Remus asked, concealing his smile behind a napkin.

"Oh gez," Sirius replied without a second thought. "You had to ask, huh?"

"Sorry, I just really want to know what a Padfoot is."

"Well, it's what my best friend called me all the time as kids because I was so stealthy. You know, those mythical ghost dog things are referred to Padfoots, I guess. So yeah. Marauder was just what we called our little club. Pretty stupid." Sirius rubbed a hand through his hair, feeling silly explaining it.

"Your turn," he gestured with a hand before it brushed against Remus' resting on the table by accident. He pulled away and felt his face flush some. "Sorry!"

Remus laughed, not seeming bothered by being touched. "Well, Remmy was my own childhood nickname. Moon was easy because I have always been a huge nightowl and what better way to describe that than using the moon?"

"Yours is much more practical. At least you were able to pick yours." Sirius paused a moment to sip at his drink.

"You didn't pick yours?"

He shook his head. "My idiot best mate made it on my behalf, and clearly wanted to embarrass me in the process."

Remus chuckled a little, subconsciously leaning toward Sirius some. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, quite a lot, actually."

"Well, I think it's cute," Remus said, carefully brushing his hand against Sirius' again. He really liked the physical contact.

Sirius smirked a little at the gesture that Remus had to catch himself from staring.

"I think you're cute, too." He stopped suddenly, processing what he said and recalling what Remus said.

The two just stared at each other, faces red, unable to look away from one other. Sirius cleared his throat some and managed to recompose himself. "So, lunch was great."

Remus couldn't help but laugh, his blush still tinging his cheeks. "It was, I'll have to tell Peter it was a hit. You can pick next time, though."

"Next time?" Sirius couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy at the invitation.

"Yeah, I mean if you want to, that is?" Remus started packing the pen and spiral he brought with and forgotten to stow when Sirius arrived.

"Of course, I'd love to!"

The two paid for their meals and Sirius helped Remus with the unusually heavy bag as they exited the sandwich shop. He handed the bag over and the mousy-haired man lugged it across his shoulder. He was captivated by those lovely eyes again.

"I had a good time, Moony. Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me. I'm sure that it wasn't the best first da–"

Sirius found himself cut off with an unexpected kiss from Remus. It shocked him, but he quickly recovered from it and returned the gesture. They pulled away after a few seconds, Remus was blushing more than ever, and Sirius ran a hand through his hair. It turned out to be a great day, after all.

* * *

 **Written for Round 7, Year 2 of The Houses Competitions**

 **Written for By Any Other Name Challenge April 2018**

 **House:** Hufflepuff

 **Category:** Themed (2,000-5,000 Words)

 **Themed Prompt:** Fluff

 **Prompt(s):** [Speech] "I'm not sure the protocol for revealing secret identities, so… hi, I guess?"

 **By Any Other Name:** Fill 04

 **Representation:** Potters, Black; Disownment and Unofficial Adoption.

 **Bonus Challenge(s):** Found Family

 **Word count:** (Per Google Docs) 3,414

 **Beta(s):** Angel, Pix


End file.
